Oscar paddock



voscanf PAD1106K, or WATERT0`WN,' NEW; YORK,

team Parham. 75,786, atea Matelica, 186s;

mraovsusur 1u HORSE BAY- roars @tigt tlgthrli tratta tu in tlgtstittets tant uur nali-ing @mi it tige tuna.

To wnoM IT MAY CONGERN: i f

Be it known that L OsoimPADDOCK, of Watertown, inthe county of .T eerson, and State of New York,

ffhave invented certain 'new and 4useful Improvementsin Hay-Forks and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clearjand exact description of thc same, reference ,b iug'had to the accompanying drawings;

My invention relates to hay-forks,`kno\vn as harpoongforks, that is Y to say, -forks in which the claws and barbs are projected from or retracted within'a tuhulai` sheath by means of a. centre-rod, combined with suitable mechanism for lockingl or unlocking" the same. The principal object Ihave in view is to'lessen the'upward strain or pressure exerted bythe claws, u henprojccted vfrom the' sheath and loaded, upon the centre-rod' and locking-mechanism, and to prevent consequent injury to vthe latter as well as to the tubular sheath. Each claw or barb maybe considered to be a. lever, whos`e -nn`er end presses upward upon the centre-rod with a. degree of .power which becomesgreatly multiplied "proportion to theincreased length Aof thatv portion of the claw projepted from the sh'eath, and theiucreased weight sustained by such claw, and, consequently, not only the 'strain upon welcoming-mechanism by whichv` the -centte-rod is held in -position isyery great, but the mechanism is apt to become jammed c1" `-weiig'edtin the centre-rod in such manner as to be -dis'eng'ii'ged'therei'rom 'with great dii'culty.`- I i `V i' As the successful operation lof' thefork depends,'in a' great measure, upon the ease'and facility with which the locking'mechanism and centre-rod are operated,and'as', moreover', the direct upward pressure ofthe loaded claws upon thai-od, locking-mechanism, and sheath, is highly injurious and destructive to the fork, it becomes agreat, desideratum to so combine these parts-as topi-event the evil's referred to.

To this end my im'entioncousists essentially of, first, the combination, with tl1`e `sheath of the fork, ot claws or barbs, pivoted to the ccntr'efbar, and'provided withshoulders or bearings, which, when the said claws are pro# jected from the sheath, bear against like shoulders or notches formed in or upon the sheath, in such manuerthat the `strain of the load upon the claws shall induce the said claws to hear, with a lateral` pressure, against the sheath or" shoulder formedin the same, substantially as hereinafterdescribed; secondrthe combination, with lthe centre-rod, and claws pivoted to the same, of 4a'spiralspring, or its mechanical equivalent, for e'ecting the upward movement of the centre-bai', and the retraction of thefclaws within the sheath, after the bolt orlockingdevice is disengaged from said centi ehar; third, the locking-mechanism, hereinafter describecL'in combination with the centre-bar, claws, and spring for effecting the upward movement ofthe bar; fourth, the combination, with tho 'centre-barand claws, of the locking-,mechanism and rope or equivalent device for operating said mechanism and actuating saidcentre-bar; fifth, the construction of the'locking-mechanism, anditsarrangeurent within the hnndlcby which .the fork is suspended,

To' enable those skilled in the art to understand and use my' invention, I `will now proceed to .describe the manner in which the same is or muy be carried into e'ect by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a perspective view .of a fork constructed in 'accordance with my invention, with the claws retracted within the sheath. v I" 7 Figure 2.is aV sectional elevation of the same, with the claws projected from thesheath.

f Figure 8 is a perspective view of the lever foroperating Vthe locking-bolt. Y

Figure 4 is a vertical central section 'through the lower part of a fork, representing a modification of my invention. i v

.A is the tubular sheath, provided with the usual slots, a, i'orthe passage of the claws, and the solid pene' tratar or pointed end A', Upon the upper end of the sheath is-secured the handle B, in which the locking-v t mechanism of the fork is enclosed. The vcentre-rod C, which carries the claws, plays through a square or'angular aperture formed in that part of thehandle which covers the top of the sheath. 'Ilhe upper portion of, the rod,

as shown in fig. 1, has a. square or angular formation to iit the aperture in the handle, while its lowerV end, C',

` lits snugly within the tubular sheath, thus insuring the necessary steadiness of the rod. Two nicks or notches,

b L', in the upperend ofthe rod, in oner of which the spring-bolt c of the locking-mechanism catches, 'according as the teeth are projected from or retracted within the sheath, serveto limit the up-an'd-down movement ofthe centre-rod. 1

The claws D are pivoted to the lower end of the part C ofthe centre-rod, as shown in the drawings. Conning attention to the claws represented iu figf2, it will be noticed that in each claw, below the pivotal point d, an angular notch or recess is formed, in such manner that, when the claws are projected from the sheath, the notches will fit over a wedge-shaped projection or bearing which rises from the, bottom ofthe sheath, and is permanently secured to or formed in one piece with the penetrator A.

New, if it be supposed that the claws thus projected from the sheath are weighted or sustain the usual load, it will be seen that the pressure thus induced by the load will cause the shoulderse e of the notches in the claws to bear laterally against the corresponding facesff of the bearing, the pressure of the shoulder e being in a direction diametrically opposite, or nearly so, to that exerted by the shoulder e. The claws thus exertlittle or no pressure upon the centre-bar C, and the locking-pin or bolt e, by which the latter is held in position, 'is, therefore, free from all strain, and can be operated with'equal ease, whether the claws are loaded or not.

The faces or shouldcrs,fe andf e', are made slightly inclined ory sloping, so as to preventl them from becoming jammed together, which would, at timcs,huppen, if they were made perfectly upright, or at right 1 angles to the bottom of the sheath. The inclination given `them is just sufficient to allow the centre-bar to be lifted with facility when the locking-pin is drawn back.-

In iig. 4 is represented a modification of the arrangement of the claws shown in iig. 2. In this figure it will be seen that the position of the Parts is reversed, the wedge-shaped projection, with the shoulders or faces ff', being formed upon the inner ends of the claws, while the notch or recess, with correspondingly-inclined sides or shoulders, e e', is cut or otherwise formed in the bottom of the sheath. The principle involved, however, as well as the operation and the effect produced, is the same as hereinbefore described, as will be apparent without further explanation; and I may here say that the shoulders ff, in fig'. 1, may be formed upon the exterior instead of inside the sheath, the notches in the claws being made of such dimensions that the shoulders e e' shall, as before, bear against the inclined bearingsff. The object in any and all cases is to obtain a bearing for the shoulders or projections e c ofthe claws, so as to transform what would otherwise be a direct upward pressure upon the centre-rod into a lateral pressure against the sheath. l

The locking-mechanism,.by which the `centre-rod is held, consists of -the locking-bolt or pin c, the spring z, to which the bolt is attached, and the lever K, by means of which the retraction of the bolt is eected. Y

The plate-spring his attached to theupper part of the handle '.B'by means of a screw or other suitable device, as shown in iig. 2, and extends down to near the base ofthe handle. The holte is attached to the bottom plate of the handle by means of a screw, z', which fits in a slot, g, formed in the bolt. The length of this slot is such as to allow the bolt to have a sliding movement, towards or away from the centre, not suiicicnt to admit of its being caught in or disengaged from one ofthe notches b b. A pin, l, in the'rcar end of the bolt, engages with the lower end of the spring L, so that, when the latter is forced back, the bolt will follow its movement.

In order to thus operate the spring, the lever K is employed. This lever is pivoted or hung upon an arm or standard, m, on one side of the handle, in such position, with relation to the spring 7n, that its shorter end, which ha-s formed upon it a camprojection, fn, will, when raised or lowered, strike against alike projecting part, o, formed on the lower end of the spring h. The latter will thus be forced back, carrying'with it'the bolt c.

' If, for instance, the longer arm of the lever` in fig. 2 be pulled downwards, the-cam n will strike or force back the spring h and boltc, thus unlocking the ccntrerod. The latter, after being thus unlocked, is raised by one of-the two followingmeans, or by both combined: f

In the one case, the rope by which the operator pulls upon the lever passes from the lever up over a pulley or roller, je, in the topf the handle,'and thence downward to the centre-rod, where it is fastened to a knob, 7", or other suitable device on the end of the rod. The rope, between the lever and the centre-rod, is somewhat slack, so as to admit of the lever being moved far` enough to completely withdraw the bolt from the centre-rod vbefore the rope vis drawn tight enough to induce an upward strain upon the rod. In order to thus adjust the rope, it passes' through a metal-loop or eye, s, i'u the lever, where it is held by means of a set-screw, t. By loosening the-screw, the rope can readily be drawn through the loop in one direction or the other, so as to secure the necessary slack" for that part of it between the lever and the centre-rod. When the operator pulls upon the rope, the cam npforces back the spring h and bolt c. By the time this is effected, the rope between lthe lever and centre-rod has been tightened, so as to draw the rod upward, while, at the same time, the shorter end of the lever strikes against a piece, v, which projects from the centre-rod, and thus aids in starting the rod.

In the other ease, I employ a spiral or other suitable spring, w, p'hiohis mounted upon the centrc-rod,`and within the sheath. This spring is compressed by the downward movement of the centre-rod, and when, as above described, the bolt c is withdrawn, the spring will throw up the'rod, and retract the claws. When the springis employed, lthe rope need be attached only to the lever K. While preferring to arrange the spring as shown in the drawing, it may, however, beplaced in the handle, and arranged to effect with equal facility the retraction of the claws. l Having now described my invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, what I claim, and desire to secure'by Letters Patent, is-

I. A hay-fork in which the centrerod and claws are combined with the sheath, in such manner that the claws, when projected, shall bear with a lateral pressure against the sheath, or against shoulders'or bearings formed therein, so as to relieve the centre-rod from upward pressure or strain, substantially as und for the purposes set forth.

2i. The combination of the centre-rod and its pivoted claws, notched, orprovidcd with inclined shoulders, l as herein described, with the sheath, and correspondingly-shaped bearings formed in the same, for the reception of said shoulders, substantially as and for the purposes shown and set forth.

n 3..;1116 mmhinationgwith tbeeentre-rod and claws, of the spring, lockingbolt,",and lever, and rope or its equivalent, attached to both 'centre-rod and lever, under the arrangement and for operation as herein described. 4. In a. hay-fork in which the claws and eentre-rod are combined with the sheath, as described, I claim the method of raisingthe centre or elevating-rod and retracting'the claws by means of a spring or springs combined l with the said rod, substantially `in the manner herein shown and described.

5. The combination, with the centre-rodrof the sheath, its handle, and a. locking-mechanism for the said f rod, attached to and arrangedwithin the said handle, substantially as herein shown nnd specified.

In testimony whereof, I have signed nay naine to this specicntion before two subscribing witnesses.

' OSGAR'PADDOCK'.

Witnesses: v

-G. F. PAnDocx,

J. CLARKE. 

